Village bakers give their top tips

With baking having become a fashionable hobby over the past few years, it has led to many people wrestling with cakes, bread and pastries.

We have teamed up with the Braunston Bakers to offer some handy tips for when you do festive baking. Here are their top tips:

 Don’t forget to make a wish when mixing the Christmas pudding. After it is all mixed, let it stand overnight covered with a cloth before boiling or steaming.

 For fresh Danish pastries on Christmas morning, make them up a week before (or earlier) and freeze them. Take them out before you stumble into bed on Christmas Eve and let them defrost overnight. Give them a quick egg wash before putting them in the oven and enjoy them while opening your presents. Similarly, for fresh bread for Boxing Day lunch, use part baked bread.

 If you want to make mini Christmas cakes line small baked bean tins and use them. If you prefer not to use suet in your Christmas pudding replace the suet with bread crumbs

 If you don’t want to use alcohol in your Christmas baking, use fruit juice.

 When steaming your Christmas pudding it is important not to let the pan boil dry. Set a kitchen timer and check the water level every 20 mins.

 As an alternative to trifle sponges why not try using amaretti biscuits instead

 Your Christmas can be iced up to a week before Christmas, put on the marzipan and leave to dry for a day then add the icing.

 Bring out the pressure cooker to finish off your Christmas pudding on Christmas day – it cuts the cooking time by half and means the kitchen won’t get steamed up.